State prisoner missing from halfway house

CONCORD — Police are searching for a state prisoner who has been missing since Wednesday night from a halfway house.

Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, 31, was not present at 9:45 p.m. when a head count was conducted at the halfway house known as the Corrections Transitional Work Center. He immediately was placed on escape status.

.Rivera-Ortiz was last seen wearing his green prison uniform.

Rivera-Ortiz was sentenced in Hillsborough County Superior Court for various crimes including stalking. He began serving the sentences on Sept. 27, 2012, and was eligible for parole on June 13, 2015, with a maximum release date of Dec. 14, 2019...The DOC’s Investigations Bureau and state police are investigating.

Anyone with information about Rivera-Ortiz’s whereabouts is asked to call the local police department or the state prison at 271-1801...